


le garçon de l’eau

by noirophelia



Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, sort of fairy tale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-24 21:02:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21105944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noirophelia/pseuds/noirophelia
Summary: It happens that half gods fall in love just like ordinary people do.





	le garçon de l’eau

**Author's Note:**

> a little magic better than none, right?  
i really hope you guys like it
> 
> all mistakes are mine, i'm sorry in advance!

**i.**

It’s pure, the way the wind is laughing, touching his curls – he realizes how blessed he is when he’s able to feel it again. Or, better to say, when he’s letting the long-starved sensations run through him.

Isak doesn’t really have an ultimate power over it, he doesn’t know how to control it, although he is aware that he _can_. It doesn’t make him sad, not anymore, it’s more that he’s disappointed there were no one who could teach him. 

With his eyes closed, his fingertips touch the ground – the greenery of the grass, the wetness of the earth under his nails float right through his skin, his brain, it fills his lungs with that fresh and lovely scent from his childhood. With bare feet in the pond, he almost lets the water take the power over him— because he isn’t afraid of it anymore. They’re friends now. Water is his friend, his best friend, his only friend. And as he likes to make fun of himself — aquamarine is his lucky color.

It’s so quiet around him it’s weird to think there are any living creatures near at all. Isak tends to space out like this more often these days and he doesn’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. Although, it’s more like he’s finally connecting with what he knows better that anything else in this world and the more he does that the more he feels at peace. Can’t be a bad thing, right?

The trees surrounding him are tall and bushy, the sun lights lick his cheeks so gentle, it’s such a mama’s touch it makes him smile. Suddenly the wind picks up a pace turning it into a melody, the only kind of music Isak is ever willing to listen from now on and it’s when he knows for sure the forest is welcoming him again.

He has dreamed of leaving this land so many times already he stopped counting, but being reminded he is actually wanted here makes him doubt all his previous thoughts. He adores this place, he really, really does – he would give everything to protect it, to help it live even when he isn’t around anymore. This place that gave him the sense of a real home, made him feel safe, saved him when he needed it the most. The love he has for these woods is tattooed on his heart and he will be forever proud to wear it for as long as he lives.

The rustling from behind makes Isak smirk – the deer is probably being its curious self. He hasn’t seen deer for too long to rob himself of talking to them when he has a chance, so he opens his eyes and slowly stands up ready to see beautiful eyes, anticipating to touch soft fur. 

Isak is almost scared when it’s human who he sees instead of an animal. He makes one step backwards angry at himself he’s mistaken a _man_ – seriously, how he _didn’t feel_ the difference – for a deer, while the stranger dumbfoundly stares at Isak.

“You’re that half god everyone talks about,” the first thing the stranger says - the deep, velvet sound of his voice makes Isak shiver right away. 

It’s been a while since he’s heard people speak.

Isak expects him to turn around and go, run, pick up the rock and throw it at him— literally _anything_, but the boy keeps standing, confident and tall, with curiosity shining in his crystal blue eyes.

“I am,” Isak nods, trying to lean on one shred of confidence he has left. Attention in his brain shifts completely to the boy in front of him, his connection with nature is temporarily over. It doesn’t stop him from sharply feeling the water drops clinging to his ankles and leaving wet kisses on his skin as they race down to the ground.

He isn’t used to meet people anymore, young people especially. The only ones he actually knows and likes – an old woman and her husband – are living on the closest hill from here and they most definitely have never heard about him being a half god, otherwise, they wouldn’t be welcoming him in their house.

“People say you destroyed the harvest last year,” the boy with shining eyes carefully continues. 

“People say a lot of things,” Isak chuckles, the fatigue squeezing his heart once more. 

“You didn’t?” the boy asks, and there’s a note of hope in his voice like he’s wasn’t expecting this kind of answer.

“Would you believe me if I told you I didn’t?” raising an eyebrow Isak asks. 

“No,” the boy answers after thinking for a moment. Then– then he simply laughs shaking his head in astonishment – and God forbid the smile, which blooms on stranger’s face, so sweet and honest. “Probably not.”

“How did you even find me?” 

Isak probably just forgot to build up the blocks again. One of a few things he knows how to do.

“But I wasn’t looking for you?” the stranger looks around this small field in the heart of the forest with small pond in the middle, through the one Isak was trying to connect with the woods.

“You didn’t?” Isak raises a brow, confused.

“No. I got lost,” the boy shakes his head, carefully taking a step forward. He keeps looking at Isak for a few more moments and then chuckles, again. “See, I’m new in the village. I thought you aren’t even real, just some sort of local myth. But you do look exactly like those pictures.”

“Pictures?”

“Yeah,” the boy sighs a laugh, keeping his eyes on Isak. Then he points at his own nose and says, “the way you wrinkled your nose right now— cute. It’s like you’re just a human,” then the boy covers his eyes with his hands for a moment like he’s embarrassed; Isak doesn’t get a chance to answer although he wants to, but the boy continues. “But pictures, yes— Adults made them for kids to play. There are also a lot of stories going around, although I don’t know how true they are.”

“You can just ask.”

The boy is silent for a minute; he takes his time with observing the scenery in front of him. He gently touches the leafs on one of the bushes with his fingertips and takes a look on the small pond behind Isak, Isak follows his gaze and quietly gasps – the way the sky with it’s clouds and colors is reflecting in it is breathtaking. When Isak’s eyes on the boy again, he’s already looking at him. The stranger smiles, takes two solid steps and asks, “What’s your name?”

**ii.**

This time Isak actually sees a deer.

Well, technically, it’s a doe, and Even is next to him, both excited and intimidated – his energy radiates around him and it’s so powerful and joyful so Isak takes it.

As usual, Even has a basket with berries with him – couldn’t be more useful than right now. After several of their meetings, Isak noticed Even loves picking up fresh berries as they walk through the woods mindlessly. For Even it’s probably doesn’t mean anything, maybe it’s an old habit of his, but Isak is more eager to find all kinds of things about this boy than ever.

The doe is four steps away from them, standing still and looking at them curiously. Even takes a tiny step forward, the doe does a step backwards. Realizing his mistake, Even takes a handful of berries from his basket and stretches his arm as far as he can.

A minute, two – the animal comes closer to him but not enough to reach the berries.

Then again, a minute passes, the owl hoots, making Even jump at the sound.

“Shit!” Even mutters, the berries fall on the ground after leaving prints of blue and purple on his palms. 

Isak chuckles while watching as Even watches the doe running away from them and then stopping when she’s far enough. 

“Curious creatures, skittish, but always curious.”

Heading to the doe, who has made herself comfortable between the bushes, Isak passes in front of shocked Even. “Watch and learn while I’m alive.”

Teaching Even treating a wild animal wasn’t that difficult. Even though Even is lanky and a bit awkward because of all these typical boyish habits that somehow stayed with him, they come more from the desire to _know_ and _explore_ things that aren’t actually familiar to him, and Isak just knows it’s genuine. Also, Isak doubts he will forget the look on Even’s face when the doe finally lets him pet her.

**iii.**

Isak never liked being a half-god. It always meant people _knowing_, people _talking_, people _staring_ at him with confusion and sometimes disgust because of the way he is – sometimes he wished he was just like everybody else. 

At the beginning, whenever he tried to help with crops or harvest, everyone would try to silence him down, threat him they will complain to the gods about him minding simple people’s business. The lack of understanding of those people, their refusal to _learn_ used to make Isak all shades of angry and hurt; he just couldn’t wrap his head around how they could push him away when he didn’t do anything to harm them. He never wanted to. 

Living like this did make him tougher, though. Smarter, too. What once was a flaming desire to conquer justice slowly turned into patience. He grew to control his emotions, he realized that people are just scared of him.

Ever since he met Even, it never felt like he had to control himself.

Even, who asked him his name while he most likely already knew it, but gave Isak a chance to tell it himself – it was like Even never doubted whether he should trust Isak or not. He wanted to listen, he wanted to know, he was _sincere_ and Isak could _feel_ it. 

Even is a kind heart, it’s what Isak got used to remind to himself before he went to sleep every night. Somehow, this boy soaked up every good word he’s ever heard, every generous act of behavior he’s ever witnessed. Isak couldn’t help but wonder if there are other people like him. 

Nobody ever tried to hear him out, nobody ever chose to believe him.

Nobody treated him like Even.

**iv.**

“I know you for how long? A month, right? I’ve never seen you do actual magic, though. Are you really a god?” Even asks one day as they go through an enormous, foreign field suffered by the merciless fire, a couple of lonely daisies are picking here and there. Isak’s heart clenched even before he could see it behind the woods. He still feels it and it hurts him so much he doesn’t know how to fix it on his own.

“So it’s the part you’ve chosen to not believe?” Isak teases him. Even’s sack he’s carrying is too heavy, he realizes it now – a little stop wouldn’t do harm.

“You just don’t exactly look like a god to me,” Even shrugs, and almost like he’s a mind reader he takes back his sack from Isak.

“First of all, I’m a half god,” Isak stops; then squints his eyes looking at Even attentively. “But how many gods have you met, Even?”

Of course, Even can’t answer that question. Isak’s face softens as he takes Even by the hand making him throw the weights on the ground. Tugging Even closer – but not _too_ close – Isak whispers. 

“Close your eyes.” 

Even does as he’s told immediately, without any thinking and it amazes Isak – how much he trusts him, how much they both got used to trust each other from the day one. Isak – because he never met someone who could be so careless towards people’s opinions and so open when it came Isak. Why Even trusts him Isak doesn’t know, not really, but he know he does, and all Isak can think about is how grateful he is that he met Even.

Isak senses he cannot really control himself anymore, he’s scared but most of all nervous. They’ve spent almost two weeks by each other’s side, Even hasn’t left him once, stopped coming back to the village after returning to Isak with only one sack on his shoulder. Isak didn’t ask then, but he just knew that this time Even fully chooses him.

And Isak _did_ notice the stares, the subtle ones during the day and the long ones in the dark of the night. But Isak isn’t an innocent one either. After they have started stopping by every lake they meet on their way, Isak actually realized how his skin shines with water drops on his naked body on early mornings Isak loves so much. He learned that when the day is ending, Even tends to be more serious, more grown up, his stares become more intense with fire flames reflecting in his eyes and then Isak has nothing to do except to play along. 

Isak has always known how to intrigue someone, he has been to other villages where people didn’t know about him, or at least they didn’t know the way he should look, and he tried to have fun, to be normal, to _feel_ normal. For the time he was engaged in what he was doing it _worked_. Then, the reality was coming back to being permanent and he was sad again. His charm didn’t disappear, just transformed into something more honest and open, but also raw and real. So yes, he answered those stares, laughed quietly, smiled sweetly because he wanted to, and maybe it was overwhelming for Even a little at first, but not anymore.

This is when Isak finally gives up. With one hand still holding Even’s, he touches Even’s cheek with the other. The touch is almost nonexistent, Even shouldn’t even feel it, but then he flinches and Isak lays his palm on Even’s face.

The touch of their lips that follows is soft but painfully quick, and Isak starts to beam when Even leans in for another kiss, still with his eyes shut. 

Isak laugh, and laughs, and laughs, and then they are not even kissing anymore.

“This is not the magic I was asking you about, but I’ll take it,” Even whispers, his hands find their place at the small of Isak’s back. He presses his forehead against Isak’s, and to Isak, everything suddenly makes sense now. He shakes his head and then blesses Even with one, two pecks until Even cups his face to hold it still. Then Isak has nowhere to go. 

“You can open your eyes now,” Isak is full on giggling right now, sweet honey is filling him inside – he never felt more warm, more right, more present, more powerful than in this exact minute and Even is in fault for that.

Isak doesn’t need to look at the field, all he wants, all he ever wants to do is to watch Even. How his eyelashes slowly flutter, it’s almost like watching him awaking from the deep sleep, how his eyes focus on Isak first and reveal nothing but amusement and tenderness from the feelings he probably didn’t expect. The corners of Even’s mouth find their way upwards, and then Even smiles so wide, the wrinkles at his eyes become even more noticeable. It takes him some time to look away from Isak, who is determined to follow every emotion on Even’s face.

When Even finally shifts his gaze to the field around them, he almost starts choking.

The whole field is full of green grass and flowers of all kinds, of all colors from pastel to devilish red, some of them, Isak is one hundred percent sure, Even has never seen in his life. Up until this moment.

Coming back to his senses, Even turns to look back at Isak. “I can’t believe they keep saying you’re the gods’ mistake when you’re capable of _this_,” he whispers as he fights the tears. At the image of Even being so vulnerable, Isak wants to cry, too.

“I’m not really controlling it. I don’t know how,” Isak quietly says, shying away. Then he pokes Even in his chest, “It’s because of you.”

They would call Even his muse in myths. Right now Isak is aware of it himself. 

**v.**

“Kids in the village aren’t allowed near the river after the dawn, you know. Nobody is allowed, really,” Even says. “The girl had drowned this spring and they think it’s you.”

It’s a warm evening, mellow and a bit sad, but Isak knows it isn’t anything serious. He actually finds comfort in all of this, somehow.

They sit on the small and low ledge just above the lake Isak discovered a couple of days ago. Isak has his feet in the water again; he feels the coldness of it just as much as the heat of Even’s body next to him, thousands of thoughts spark in his mind.

“Water is my friend,” Isak says after a minute with a broken smile on his face, lowering his head. “It’s everybody’s friend, actually.”

Even only scoffs.

“What?” Isak turs around, his eyebrows furrowed.

“You’re a _nature god_,” and now Even is making the face that says isn’t it that obvious? 

“And?”

“It isn’t that simple for people, okay? Some, for example, can’t swim, you know?” Even says looking right through him, and Isak is confused, again, just like every time they share something together. Even is enigma, that’s for sure, because Isak can learn how to find a way to connect with every single living creature, but when it’s people, when it’s Even, especially Even, he still _doesn’t know_ shit. Everything about Even is a miracle. Isak wants to know more.

“You can’t swim?”

Even shrugs, turning away from him. He keeps his silence then, just looking at the water ripple in front of them, awkwardly scratching his arms. Wind blows cover Even’s eyes with his own hair and Isak can’t look away. 

“I might be not the best swimmer,” Even starts, making a pause, “but I bet you’re shit at holding your breath under water,” Even says, raising his eyebrows in the teasing manner of his.

Something tickles at the back of Isak’s brain but he is too lost, too caught up in the moment and Even is so beautiful.

“No, I’m not,” he answers slowly, watching Even’s reaction. “I’m a nature god, as you said yourself.” 

“Well—”

Isak acts before thinking, pushes Even too hard that he falls into the water. After several second, Even comes to the surface clearly not expecting to see Isak laughing.

“What the hell?” Even yells but he’s also smiling in full and doesn’t look offended at all. Isak relaxes. “I could have drown!”

“You’re doing just fine.”

“People are right. You’re evil,” Even says with a wide grin on his lips.

The next thing Isak knows – Even grabs him by his ankles and drugs him into the water with him. Staying afloat, Isak rubs his eyes and then looks at Even, astonished. 

“Revenge,” the only thing Even says and Isak thinks, well, fair enough.

So Isak laughs, pure and loud, shaking his head and splashing water around them. 

“You thought I can’t swim, this is why you pushed me? Was it my punishment?” Even’s smiles at him again and Isak wants it to leave Even’s face ever again. He swims closer to wrap his arms around Even’s neck.

“Not really,” Isak whispers, closing the little distance between them. 

Isak kisses Even’s smile, and then the corner of his lips, and then his cheek, but before he can even realize, Even kisses him right on the mouth. After that, Isak forgets about everything, it’s here and now and it’s _good_. He just never felt this _right_ kissing someone. Now holding Even face between his both hands, he sighs when he deepens the kiss. One of Even’s hand is on his shoulder, bringing him closer, the weight of the other one Isak recognizes on his neck, and it almost makes Isak lose his mind.

**\+ i.**

They leave.

Just like that. To the end of the world together – to the sea, to the waves, to the unclear cries of seagulls. To the sand and rocks and wet clothes and chapped lips and goosebumps from the cold. 

They walk until their feet start to bleed, until the tiredness and sleepiness from all the journey they have made is catching up on them, but it all just adds to the feeling of things being right.

“Do you feel the sun?” Even asks when they’re finally standing by the shore. Isak stops next to him as they look at looking at the horizon. Together. 

It’s not getting dark within hours yet; the sun is bright this afternoon, the sunset is going to be all shades of beautiful. Isak senses that in his solar plexus.

“Don’t you?”

“You know what I mean,” Even tilts his head, smiling at him. The sun softly covers Even’s hair, the linen color is shining like gold now; the sea secrets reflect in Even’s eyes, bringing up the eternity from the bottom of the sea. 

Isak is so in love with him.

“Yeah. I do,” he whispers simply, taking Even’s hand in his.

The nature is his life and he is what nature needs to live. He’s yet to find how to own this power, but he still has time for that. So when he takes a deep breath and fills his lungs with this salty air, when the water is tickling his toes, when Even doesn’t let go of his hand, he knows he’s home. 

They find it in themselves to build it. It takes time, but they love every second of it.

Some nights Isak hears the storm start to build up. He refuses to remember how just a while ago he would describe his life with a storm – his tangled thoughts, every action and every decision he has made. Everything was in a complete chaos and disarray. But storms tend to end, he knows that now, so no, he stops remembering every vicious word he’s heard, he doesn’t remember wishing to be somebody else. He doesn’t want to. When the storms come, he just holds Even closer, who is sound asleep just next to him, and leaves a kiss on his left shoulder blade. 

“You’re my talisman, aquamarine eyes.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you all so much for reading!  
it was my first attempt in writing tale, of some sort, please, let me know what you think!
> 
> and say hi to me on [tumblr](https://graceinnocence.tumblr.com/) if you want to <з


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